Dragon Age II - Gen. Discussion and Info - Mark of the Assassin DLC 10/11 800 pts.

The popular opinion (mine as well) is that DA2 is inferior to DA:O/Awakening. Saying that, I actually enjoyed Dragon Age 2 despite it's obvious flaws. The only advantage I would say it has over Origins is that the squadmates are far more interesting in DA2. But yeah, since you're in a Dragon Age streak, you should play it.
 
I guess I'll represent the ranting assholes who just can't let it go and say that, while I really liked DAO, I have to struggle to think of anything that I genuinely enjoyed in its sequel. Some of the art changes were pretty cool, I guess, and I am legitimately impressed that they made it much clearer how much damage is done by what, but pretty much everything else - combat, plot, characters, aesthetics, etc. - felt like a huge step down.
 
[quote name='kdiddy1989']How would you rate Dragon Age 2 in comparison to DA:Origins? If I LOVED Origins, will I LOVE DA2? I just finished Origins and am about to start Awakening as I've cleared most the DLC. Excited to start DA2, and I'm thinking about playing it immediately after Awakening (as opposed to playing a different game in between)[/QUOTE]

I am a member of the probably very small group who liked DA2 a lot better than Origins. :)

The reuse of the same maps to represent different areas was really shoddy and undeniably a major problem. But that is pretty much the only thing I don't love about the game. I liked the aesthetic changes to the design of elves and qunari. I liked the voiced protagonist. I thought the party members were much more unique and interesting than in Origins. I thought the story was a refreshing change from the usual globe-trotting save the world stuff. And I appreciated the overall ME1->ME2 style streamlining of the interface and gameplay (though the changes were much less pronounced than in the Mass Effect series).

Go in with an open mind at least. I hope you enjoy it!
 
[quote name='kdiddy1989']How would you rate Dragon Age 2 in comparison to DA:Origins?[/QUOTE]

Decent at best, but thought DA:O was infinitely superior.

If I LOVED Origins, will I LOVE DA2?
Click to expand...

The only person who can actually answer this question is you. Go in with an open mind as Ryu suggested but don't be surprised if a lot of the changes rub you the wrong way.
 
I'm with Ryuu. I loved DA2. More than DA:O. They are just different in some ways. Both good, both worth playing. People who can't get past the reused environments or the contained and narrowly focused story don't see it for what I believe DA2 was.....a transition from the Blight to a much larger and more human threat. Politics.

Go read Asunder while you're at it. Great book that takes DA2 and spins the tension even tighter and sets up Thedas for DA3. Can't. Wait.

BTW, that DA Tome is coming out in April. Still sketchy details at best, but I think it could end up being pretty badass if you're into the detailed universe David Gaider and the DA team have created.
 
DA 2 has a great cast of followers, minus the changes made to Anders if you're familiar with him from Awakening. Varric is still my favorite dwarf in any fiction ever.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']I am a member of the probably very small group who liked DA2 a lot better than Origins. :)
[/QUOTE]

Ditto and everyone thought I was the bum on the street yelling the end is nigh! ;)
 
[quote name='Spybreak8']Ditto and everyone thought I was the bum on the street yelling the end is nigh! ;)[/QUOTE]
Well your avatar does kind of look like a homeless Vietnam vet or something.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']I am a member of the probably very small group who liked DA2 a lot better than Origins. :)

The reuse of the same maps to represent different areas was really shoddy and undeniably a major problem. But that is pretty much the only thing I don't love about the game. I liked the aesthetic changes to the design of elves and qunari. I liked the voiced protagonist. I thought the party members were much more unique and interesting than in Origins. I thought the story was a refreshing change from the usual globe-trotting save the world stuff. And I appreciated the overall ME1->ME2 style streamlining of the interface and gameplay (though the changes were much less pronounced than in the Mass Effect series).

Go in with an open mind at least. I hope you enjoy it![/QUOTE]

[quote name='GhostShark']The popular opinion (mine as well) is that DA2 is inferior to DA:O/Awakening. Saying that, I actually enjoyed Dragon Age 2 despite it's obvious flaws. The only advantage I would say it has over Origins is that the squadmates are far more interesting in DA2. But yeah, since you're in a Dragon Age streak, you should play it.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for quick responses. I'm working on DA: Awakening (and enjoying it) at the moment. I read a couple pages on this thread and watched the IGN video review so I heard about the repeat of maps but I don't think that'll bother me too much. I'm definitely going into it with an open mind, and still on fire for Dragon Age since I'm gonna roll right into it from Awakening.
 
The game play might be better in origins (I don't remember much of it), but the story is just as good and memorable, at least to me. The characters are likeable. I love them all and I care about them. Plus your player character talks now!

I beat the game yesterday, and I was left with a bittersweet feeling. I was glad I beat the game, but I didn't want it to end. I wanted more of everything... more of Hawke.

Im gonna start another character and then I'll tackle the dlc. I read that the legacy dlc is actually much better than the main plot, can't wait to try it out.

I didn't mind the recycled dungeons. I was really invested in the story, and the nightmare difficulty made me look past the recycled dungeons flaw since I was more concerned about which groups of enemies I was about to face next.

I really recommend playing on that difficulty. At first it will be hard and you will end up kiting a lot, but it forces you to rethink your strategies and experiment with different abilities, party setup etc.
 
I felt the DLCs for DA2 were pretty bad in comparison to the awful story of DA2. And one has Felicia Day, so that one should be avoided at all costs.
 
[quote name='GhostShark']And one has Felicia Day, so that one should be avoided at all costs.[/QUOTE]
You misspelled "bought immediately at a high price." ;)
 
started another playthrough as a mage.

Man nightmare mode is so easy as mage. less frustrating than when playing as a rogue.

my party setup is Merill, Anders, and Varric.

I allocate every point towards damage dealing attributes (so magic and dex for varric).

so basically during fights, i put my party in a good spot and use Force Magic skills to pull opponents together and freeze them in place. then i use AOE skills such as firestorm, tempest, and walking bomb, and most crowds go down within 2-3 seconds.

my party is fragile, but why bother putting points in defense and HP, when the enemies dont even have a chance to attack.

im pretty worried about facing the first boss though, since hes immune to every element.
 
BioWare DLC on sale this week on XBLM:

Dragon Age Origins - 800msp/10$ (was 1200/15$) US price
-Awakening - 1200msp (was 2400)
-Darkspawn Chronicles - 240msp (was 400)
-Golems of Amgarrak - 240msp (was 400)
-Leliana's Song - 400msp (was 560)
-Return to Ostagar - 240msp (was 400)
-Witch Hunt - 400msp (was 560)

Dragon Age 2 - 800msp/10$ (was 1600/20$) US price
-Exiled Prince - 400msp (was 560)
-Legacy - 400msp (was 800)
-Mark of the Assassin - 560msp (was 800)

Mass Effect 3
-From Ashes - 560msp (was 800)
 
[quote name='perdition(troy']Of the three dlc that are on sale which ones Are worth it[/QUOTE]
I... would argue none of them. Ryuu would probably say all of them.

Exiled Prince brings in another companion for the main game; an archer rogue. He's alright enough, though his niche is pretty much already filled by Varric in combat, and he dips in and out of the story way too much for my liking. Has a Scottish accent for some reason, if my memory serves. One of the few consistently sane characters in the game.

Legacy is a sidestory that you can do either mid- or post-playthrough, bringing along any living companion (including your sibling) you want. It tries to tie the Hawke family to the events and lore of the first game and Awakening, and it kinda-sorta succeeds. Genlocks are reintroduced, and the wave combat has been pretty much replaced by monster closets.

Mark is... something. It throws a really god damn annoying (and inexplicably ugly) companion your way and has you mucking about the French countryside fucking up established lore. But it also has the best encounter design of the bunch, rarely using either waves or monster closets.

Your choice.
 
It's kind of hard to rank them or whatever because there's not a big range of quality like with Mass Effect 2, say. If you like Dragon Age II, they're all pretty good. If you only want one I'd probably recommend Exiled Prince, because it adds a permanent party member and it integrates well with the overall plot of the game.
 
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Well Spy I have to disagree and love the 2 post-release expansions, Legacy & Mark. Exiled Prince was a freebie for me and I never used Sebastian outside of his recruitment/loyalty mission as I'd much rather have the greatest Dwarf in fiction, Varric, as my archer.

Legacy adds a lot of story to the Hawke family while Mark is a fun addition (I'm a Felicia Day fan so that helps) and if DA 2 & it's DLC had sold better I bet there would have been more with her.
 
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